Brook Lodge

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Autistic spectrum disorders, Behavioural support, Learning disability, Mental health

At Brook Lodge we support 11 men with learning disabilities, autistic spectrum disorders and mental health needs. We have an excellent track record of managing challenging behaviours.

The service is in Longhope, a small village in the Forest of Dean. There are shops, a post office and pubs in the village, and excellent transport links to Gloucester and Ross-on-Wye. Being in a rural location, people living at Brook Lodge also take part in a number of outdoor activities including horse riding, attending the local farm project, climbing, walking and fishing. We have three service vehicles.

Our philosophy is to support people as individuals to achieve the very best quality of life and live as independently as possible, with the level of support they need to feel comfortable. We believe everyone should be accepted for who they are and be involved in the wider community. Brook Lodge is a well established service which is part of the local community. We use local shops and pubs and attend village functions. We also offer everyone the opportunity to socialise with people who live at nearby Voyage services, at parties, discos and barbecues and encourage individuals to maintain contact with their families, offering support for home visits if they wish.

We hold regular meetings where the people who live at the service are encouraged to voice their opinions on how the service is run and become involved in menu planning, choice of décor and activity planning. We consistently offer a wide range of activities and are keen to seek out new opportunities to suit individuals’ needs and interests. We work with each person to create their own personalised activity timetable. Several individuals attend Forest of Dean college, studying cookery, computing, photography, swimming and life skills. More courses can be accessed at other colleges in the area.

Visitors often comment on the relaxed, welcoming atmosphere at Brook Lodge, which staff work hard to maintain. The staff team have a good understanding of behavioural triggers and redirection and are able to ensure that service users achieve their full potential whilst still maintaining their personal safety. The more established members of the team are keen to mentor new staff, ensuring the quickly gain a good understanding of the service and each person who lives there.

One young man, who came to live at Brook Lodge from a psychiatric ward, was very withdrawn, would not make eye contact or take part in activities and was on a lot of medication. Since living at Brook Lodge he participates in activities and has won several rosettes for horse riding. At the same time his medication has been significantly reduced and he never needs to be physically restrained.

The service has ten bedrooms with en-suite facilities as well as an independent flat with a bedroom, bathroom and kitchen/living area. There are gardens to the front and rear of the house and a greenhouse for growing produce.